1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of lighting and luminous signaling, especially for automotive vehicles. More precisely, the invention relates to the field of lighting and luminous signaling by means of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and more particularly to the mounting of the LEDs in a signaling module.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,512 discloses mounting an LED on a printed circuit board. The LED is reverse mounted (i.e. it is a “reverse mount” LED), namely the LED emits its light rays on that side of the board which is opposite the side on which the LED is mounted. For this purpose, the board comprises an orifice through which the optical part of the LED is inserted. The latter comprises a base with two extensions extending laterally in opposite directions, these extensions comprising contact zones intended to be soldered to corresponding contact zones of the board. The board and the base of the LED are made of a conventional circuit-board material, namely of glass-fiber reinforced epoxy resin. Such a material is designed to withstand the high temperatures induced locally by conventional soldering operations. The LED carrier disclosed in this teaching is advantageous for planar mounting. It is however less so for signaling modules of complex shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,924,371 discloses a screen for a night-vision imaging system. The screen comprises a printed circuit board on which a series of LEDs are arranged in a matrix, the series of LEDs being intended to backlight a liquid-crystal display. Certain of the LEDs are placed on the front side of the board, i.e. on the face directed toward the liquid-crystal display. Other LEDs are reverse mounted, i.e. they are placed on the back side of the board, through corresponding orifices, so as to provide forward illumination through the orifices. The LEDs are fixed in place and connected to the electrical tracks of the board by conventional solder joints. Similarly to the preceding teaching, the LED carrier disclosed in this teaching is advantageous for planar mounting. It is however less so for signaling modules of complex shape.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0243558, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,620, discloses an LED carrier for a rear automotive vehicle light type signaling module. It consists of a printed circuit board comprising a series of orifices through which reverse mount LEDs are inserted. These LEDs comprise optical portions taking the form of domes, these domes being visible from the front side. The LEDs comprise fastening and electrical connection leads soldered to the electrical tracks on the back side of the board. This mounting schema provides a carrier that is attractive when it is observed by an observer located on the front-side side, the electrical connections being exclusively on the back side. In addition, it allows a radiator to be placed on the back side of the base of the LED. Similarly to the two preceding teachings, the LED carrier disclosed in this teaching is advantageous for planar mounting. It is however less so for signaling modules of complex shape.